February 2024 – how the royal family choose schools, and how that’s changed over the generations.

Thursday February 29th, 2024

Welcome to your February update. In this issue, we’ll be looking at the schools that members of the British monarchy choose for their children and how this has evolved over the last few generations. You can look back at previous generations’ educational options in our August ’19 and September ‘22 blogs. But for now, we’ll focus on future generations.

It seems a timely topic, as the British press report on The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s plans for their children’s schooling. Currently, all three siblings attend Lambrook School in Berkshire, and probably will until they reach their teens. But the application process for senior independent education in the UK is such that for Prince George, aged 10, entrance exams and decisions will be happening soon for his senior school entry aged 13.

Which schools made the shortlist?

The Cambridges have reportedly toured Eton, Prince William’s alma mater, which he attended with brother, Harry, from the mid-1990s. And at the end of last year, press reported that Kate and George had made two visits to Kate’s senior school, Marlborough College, in Wiltshire. As one of the first traditional boys’ boarding schools to admit girls into its sixth form (in 1968, though it took another 30 years to become fully co-ed), it would be party to another break with tradition should it become George’s place of education. That’s because it would make him the first male heir to the British throne to attend a co-educational school. Some say this is an example of Kate being a real moderniser of the royal family; others argue she’s simply keen for all three siblings to have the option to attend senior school together. You can read more about the co-ed debate in our June ’22 and October ’23 blogs.

Widening the search for the school best suited to their son

However, it seems it’s not just the schools they have first-hand experience of that William and Kare are considering for the next generation. More recent reports suggest the royal couple have also visited St Edward’s School in Oxford, affectionately known as ‘Teddies’. Located on a 100-acre site in the north of Oxford, the co-ed school has students from more than 40 countries. Interestingly, it also welcomes full boarders (i.e. pupils who live on site during term time, only returning home for school holidays) and weekly boarders – students study and sleep on site during the week, returning home at weekends – as well as day pupils. Could this be a consideration for the royal couple too? A more hands-on parenting style than their predecessors could mean they’d prefer not to commit to full boarding, but have the option for day schooling or weekly boarding for their children.

How else is ‘Teddies’ different?

Other characteristics that set ‘Teddies’ apart are its holistic approach to education; as its own website asserts, its pupils’ “happiness and their ability to recognise what will make them happy are more important than anything else.” St Edward’s is well known for fostering its students’ individual interests and passions, though it has an outstanding reputation for academic success too and offers both the IB and A Level to its sixth formers. We explored a little more about the 161-year-old school, alongside Kate’s alma mater Marlborough, in our November ’21 blog.

Another option could be Oundle School

Other press reports this month suggest Oundle School, a Northamptonshire-based co-ed for full boarders or day pupils, is also vying for top spot on the shortlist. An independent school with all the tradition that comes with a 468-year heritage, Oundle also embraces a more modern, inclusive approach: alumni are encouraged to be ‘ambitious… but never arrogant’. Academic results are good – with around three-quarters of pupils achieving 9-7 at GCSE, A*-B at A Level and going on to study at Russell Group universities – but there is less academic pressure than at some independent schools. Pupils are encouraged to flourish on their own terms and at their own pace, which can make for more-rounded, socially confident and inclusive graduates. Although Oundle welcomes some day pupils, there’s a real sense of a full boarding ethos: embracing all the extra-curricular opportunities, responsibilities and learning environments on offer. As such, Oundle decided, at the turn of the millennium, to create a new ‘House’ for day pupils, so they could be as fully integrated into the school’s ‘modern boarding ethos’ as possible, with all the benefits they believe that brings.

Different schools suit different people – royal or not

Going back a couple of generations, King Charles’ education inspired Gordonstoun’s claim to fame: the first school to educate an heir to the British throne. Both Charles and his father before him, Prince Philip, attended the Scottish boarding school. And Philip was keen for his eldest son to follow in his footsteps and reap the same rewards. The Duke of Edinburgh was one of the school’s very first pupils, joining as he did in 1934, the same year the school was founded by German educationalist, Kurt Hahn. Although both men, a generation apart, found it a challenging environment at first, so far from home and so different from what they knew – Philip grew to love the place. But it’s unclear whether Charles ever discovered the same enjoyment. While his father credited the school with shaping his life and character, Charles described it as “tough in the sense that it demanded more of you as an individual than most other schools did — mentally or physically”. But in a 1975 speech to the House of Lords, he seemed to agree with his father that his education there helped him grow as a person, teaching him “a great deal” about himself.

This ambiguity only serves to highlight what we all know as parents: that different schools suit different people. That’s what Kate and William are exploring with their wide-ranging research into finding the right place for George. What will work best for their son and set him up for a happy, successful life, in which he’s able to adapt and thrive in an inclusive, interconnected, egalitarian, modern world. Whether you’re an heir to the throne or not, the aim is the same for all of us after all!

If you’d like a no-obligation chat about the sorts of schools that might suit your child, drop us a line today. We’d love to hear from you.